Ford Repair: Oil Leak, valve cover gasket, crankshaft seal

Question
QUESTION: Hi. We have a 1984 Ford F150 (V8 302) and we have a really bad oil leak from front of engine. We replaced the PCV Valve, but that wasn't the problem. Do you know of anything else it could be? If so, even any simple possible solutions would be greatly appreciated.

ANSWER: Depending on if it is front bottom or front top. For the top try tightening the valve cover bolts. Might not hurt to just go ahead and change the gasket. You should be able to get a good eye on the leak if it is at the bottom when changing the oil. Tighten oil pan bolts while you are there. Timing cover gasket and crankshaft seal are another thing to look at. Bottom line is, try tightening up some bolts. They are going to be loose from age. Is the oil leaking, dripping, or spraying?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the quick reply. The oil is dripping. We lose appx. a quarter of a quart every 2 days. Which gasket should be changed? Is it easily replaced? Thanks again.

Answer
Place a 36"x36" piece of cardboard under the truck when parked. This is a proven trick to identify exactly which location the drip is coming from. Probably looking at either a oil pan gasket or valve cover gasket or even both. Do you see oil signature around the valve covers?